The INSIDER daily digest

Coverage of the defense policy bill, contractor protests and the Joint Strike Fighter highlight this Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest.

Looks like the Senate version of the FY-17 defense policy bill won't be decided this week:

Senate Democrats slow defense policy bill

Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), are using a procedural tactic to slow down floor debate on the fiscal year 2017 defense policy bill amid allegations that the legislation was marked up in secret.

Don't expect the defense industry to jump with joy over government efforts to "protest-proof" solicitations and awards:

Protest reform ideas abound, but much of industry says, 'No, thanks'

Capitol Hill and the Pentagon are flush with ideas for fixing the bid protest process, arguing that new policies would shrink the number of protests and improve a contracting culture in which government buyers are trying to "protest-proof" their solicitations and awards.

Some news that broke late last night:

Bogdan: F-35 operational testing delayed by six months

F-35 operational testing has been delayed by about six months because the joint program office cannot retrofit 23 jets needed for the test event, according to an official.

Don't count out the Army Reserve:

Army Reserve chief: component is critical to mission success

The Army Reserve continues to face high demands, amid reliance on the reserve component "to meet mission requirements" for the service, according to its outgoing chief.

The Army awarded Lockheed Martin a multimillion-dollar foreign military sales rocket contract:

Lockheed is tapped to make rockets for Israel, Finland, Jordan, Singapore

Lockheed Martin received a $332 million contract from the Army to manufacture Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rocket pods destined for sale to Israel, Finland, Jordan and Singapore, according to the Defense Department.

China continues to be a big deal:

'Pacific Pathways' participants cite China as top concern

An ongoing series of engagements with partners and allies in the Asia Pacific, designed to boost readiness and interoperability, is taking on new significance in an increasingly contested region.

A NAVAIR official talked about helicopters recently:

NAVAIR emphasizing aircraft readiness in design phase

Naval Air Systems Command is emphasizing reliability and maintenance processes in the design phase of its programs as part of the response to the ongoing readiness crisis in the Marine Corps' helicopter fleet, according to a top program official.

News on a recent Army high-energy laser integration test:

Army hails high-energy laser integration test

Army Space and Missile Defense Command recently completed an "extremely successful" experiment to test the integration of its high-energy laser prototype into a command-and-control environment, according to a service scientist leading the effort.